Shabdakalpa, a historical dictionary of Bengali

Please see the appeal for a  project on online historical dictionary of the Bengali language being developed at the School of Cultural Texts and Records, Jadavpur University.  This proposal shared by Avhijit Gupta and Sukanta Choudhury. 

If you are interested please contact them directly.

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Dear friends and colleagues,

We are delighted and privileged to learn that your members have expressed an interest in Shabdakalpa, the online historical dictionary of the Bengali language being developed at the School of Cultural Texts and Records, Jadavpur University. It may not be possible for your Association to support our effort institutionally; but we would like to tell you about it, as many of your members may individually be interested in this major project linking the language and literature of Bengal to advanced technology. 

   The purpose of a historical (or diachronic) dictionary is to compile and search the largest possible database of texts in a language to trace the history of every word -- when it first entered the language, and all subsequent changes of meaning, structure and usage. The only language so far with a fully developed historical dictionary is English. Work is ongoing in a few other major Western languages. To our knowledge, there has been no attempt as yet at a digitally generated historical dictionary of any non-Western language or in a non-Latin font. A language with a historical dictionary, complete or ongoing, enjoys a special prestige and functionality in world culture. We are attempting to ensure this status for Bengali, the world's seventh most widely spoken language.

   We have worked on this gigantic project for the last seven years and more.  By the end of 2025, we hope to complete a database of 50,000+ works from all sources and periods on all subjects. We have already developed a pioneering software to process the raw data, especially the very complex paradigm (dhaturup) of the Bengali verb, aggregating all its inflexions in a single consolidated list which will form the basis of the final dictionary entry. See these two links 1, and 2 made from partial databases under construction, for a very tentative preview of how the final entries would be structured.

     The various forms of each pronoun are aggregated by a version of the same process, and of nouns by a different but analogous process. Every example is fully documented from authentic texts with date, source and context. We are also about to complete converting PDF texts (by far the commonest format in which they are stored, whether online or offline) into plain text (. txt) files required for processing on our software.

   For a short basic introduction to the purpose of the project, click here (Bengali) or here (English). For a more extended account outlining the methodology, click here (Bengali) or here (English) For the fullest and dynamic coverage, visit our website at:   https://shabdakalpa.com/

You may also enjoy a video on the project, at a popular non-technical level, prepared by our project staff and accessible at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfP_6-M5OcI

This massive project requires substantial funds, for equipment and software and, above all, to employ a team of operators. At present, we have ten project staff. We would greatly benefit from increasing the number. We also need to replace some of our hardware, including machines surviving since 2011 from our earlier major project Bichitra, the online Tagore Variorum (https://bichitra.jdvu.ac.in/). Do visit the Bichitra site, the high point of our endeavours so far. Shabdakalpa is a still more advanced and ambitious project.

   We call upon all lovers of Bengali language, literature and culture, and particularly those welcoming the advent of modern technology in this field, to help us sustain our efforts. All contributions, big and small, are welcome. Please click here  to know the procedures for sending contributions, (a) for remittances in rupees from within India, and (b) for remittances from abroad in foreign currency. Please remember to send the requested email with details of your donation, so that we can trace it and utilize it smoothly.

   All contributions from within India are eligible for relief under section 80G of the IT act. Like all public universities, we are also eligible for CSR funds, especially in fields involving technological applications like ours. We have set a tentative completion date of 21 February (Bhasha Dibas) 2028 (the centenary of completion of the Oxford English Dictionary). This target can only be met through generous and wholehearted support from all  those valuing the cause.

   We call on all to stand by us in this uniquely ambitious project, which would immensely enhance both the stature and the practical study and practice of Bengali. It would also provide a template for similar efforts with other languages in India and abroad: Bengal could provide a model for the world.

Let us all join hands to complete the project. Warmest regards to all.

    আসুন আমরা সকলে মিলে এই প্রচেষ্টা সার্থক করি। বাংলা ভাষার জয় হোক।

    অভিজিৎ গুপ্ত

    অধিকর্তা, স্কুল অভ কালচারাল টেক্সটস অ্যান্ড রেকর্ডস, যাদবপুর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়

    সুকান্ত চৌধুরী

    প্রধান নির্দেশক, শব্দকল্প প্রকল্প